Method and apparatus for forming cakes

• US 4,592,916 A
• Filed: 11/13/1984
• Issued: 06/03/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Societe D'assistance Technique Pour Produits Nestle S.A.
• Original Assignee: Nestec SA (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: Akesson, Yngve R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weinstein, Steven
• Application Number:
  US06/670,220
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 426/502, 426/503, 426/518, 426/512, 426/517, 426/516, 426/446-449, 426/285, 426/454, 426/559, 83/125, 83/127, 83/128, 425/299, 425/298, 425/296, 425/398
• US Class Current: 426/517
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 11/006 by pressing or press-moulding A21C11/008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/2127 Ejector operated with return stroke of cutter

Abstract

A method of forming a cake from a sticky confectionary material based on sugar and cereals comprising the steps of transporting a layer of such sticky confectionary material having a uniform thickness on a surface of an endless conveyor to a position beneath at least one vertically disposed hollow cylinder whose wall is tapered at its lower end and inside which is a piston, advancing the cylinder downwardly so that it cuts through the sticky material until the lower edge of said cylinder contacts said surface and severs the sticky material within the cylinder from the layer; then advancing the piston downwardly to compress the severed sticky material to between about 40% and about 60% of its original thickness to form the cake, maintaining such compression for between 0.5 and 5.0 seconds, and then retracting the cylinder and piston together upwardly so that the cylinder and piston carry with them the formed cake, and then advancing the piston downwardly to press out and release the formed cake from the cylinder.

Claims

1. A method of forming a cake from a sticky confectionary material produced by adding a binder prepared by mixing 8 to 30 parts by weight of sucrose and/or glucose syrup and from 5 to 15 parts by weight of water, to a base in granular form prepared by mixing from 40 to 80 parts by weight of cereal flour, from 0 to 20 parts by weight of sucrose, from 0.5 to 3 parts by weight of oil or fat and from 0 to 3 parts by weight of water, and extrusion cooking under conditions such that an expanded cooked base having a density of from 0.1 to 0.3 g/cm³ is obtained at the exit of an extrusion nozzle and reduced to granular form;

the method comprising the steps of depositing on an endless conveyor run intermittently said material in the form of plural bands of material extending transversely of said downstream direction, there being gaps between adjacent ones of such bands so that the bands and gaps are disposed in alternating sequence along the length of the conveyor, a scraper displacing material from the top of each such band into an adjacent one of said gaps as the band passes beneath the scraper upon movement of the conveyor to thereby form each band into a layer of substantially uniform thickness without unduly compressing the band and breaking the structure of the granules, transporting each layer to a position beneath at least one vertically disposed hollow cylinder whose wall is tapered at its lower end and inside which is a piston, advancing the cylinder downwardly so that it cuts through the sticky material until the lower edge of said cylinder contacts said surface and severs the sticky material within the cylinder from the layer, then advancing the piston downwardly to compress the severed sticky material to between about 40% and about 60% of its original thickness to form the cake, maintaining such compression for between 0.5 to 5.0 seconds, and then retracting the cylinder and piston together upwardly so that the cylinder and piston carry with them essentially without other means the formed cake, and then expelling and releasing the formed cake from the cylinder by advancing the piston downwardly.

2. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the endless conveyor is stationary while the hollow cylinder is advanced and is moved when the hollow cylinder and piston are retracted upwardly together carrying with them the formed cake.

3. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the lower edge of the tapering portion of the cylinder wall is sharp to facilitate cutting all the way through the sticky material.

4. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that a pattern is formed in the top face of the cake by the face of the piston which compresses the sticky material.

5. A process as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the sticky material is compressed by the piston to between 45% and 55% of its original thickness.

6. A process as claimed in claim 5 characterised in that the compression of the sticky material by the piston is maintained for between 1.0 and 3.0 seconds.

7. A process as claimed in claim 6 characterised in that said compression is maintained for between 1.5 and 2.5 seconds.

8. An apparatus for forming cakes from a sticky confectionary granular material characterised in that it comprises an endless conveyor adapted to run intermittently in a predetermined downstream direction, above which is a vertically disposed hollow cylinder whose wall is tapered at its lower end and inside which is a piston, means for depositing a sticky confectionary material onto the endless conveyor upstream of the cylinder in the form of plural bands extending transversely of said downstream direction so that there are gaps extending transversely of said downstream direction between adjacent ones of said bands, scraper means mounted above the conveyor belt downstream of said depositing means and upstream of the cylinder for engaging each of said bands of material and displacing excess material from the top of each band so engaged into the gap upstream of such band as such band passes beneath the scraper means upon movement of the conveyor, whereby each of said bands of sticky material is formed into a layer of uniform thickness without unduly compressing the sticky bands of material and breaking the structure of the granules, means for lowering the cylinder to cut through the sticky material until its lower edge contacts the endless conveyor, means for lowering the piston after the lower edge of the cylinder contacts the conveyor so that the piston compresses the sticky material to a thickness between about 40% and about 60% of the thickness of said layer to thereby form a cake, said piston lowering means being operative to maintain the pressure of the piston on the cake for between 0.5 and 5.0 seconds, means for raising the cylinder and piston together carrying with them the formed cake, means for lowering the piston to press out and release the formed cake and means for transporting the formed cake away from the endless conveyor.